Some 696 people crossing the Channel in 14 boats to seek asylum in the UK were brought into shore yesterday (August 1).
Those brought into Ramsgate Port, including children, were driven away aboard buses.
It is the highest number of people this year crossing the Channel in small boats recorded in a single day.
The figure was revealed in daily data published by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The former Fire Training and Development Centre at Manston is used for processing those that arrive in the country seeking asylum through ‘irregular’ routes with the closure of Dover’s Tug Haven short-term immigration detention facilities.
The site holds people for up to five days as security and identity checks are completed.
The Home Office says people are brought there for initial screening and processing before going onto longer term accommodation. The site provides the amenities and services needed for a short term stay.
In April government announced plans for the removal to Rwanda of people seeking asylum in ways other than the official routes.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the new Migration and Economic Development Partnership saying it “will mean that anyone entering the UK illegally – as well as those who have arrived illegally since January 1st – may now be relocated to Rwanda.”
The Prime Minister claimed the scheme would disrupt people smuggling gangs and thwart economic migrants taking advantage of the asylum system.
However, a late intervention from the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) led to fresh challenges in the UK courts, meaning no flights to Rwanda have taken place. Fresh court hearings are due to take place this Autumn.
Figures for small boat Channel crossings detected from July 25-31 show:
| Date | People detected | Boats detected |
|---|---|---|
| 25 July | 136 | 3 |
| 26 July | 0 | 0 |
| 27 July | 202 | 5 |
| 28 July | 0 | 0 |
| 29 July | 247 | 7 |
| 30 July | 460 | 12 |
| 31 July | 0 | 0 |